Corn picker



W. J. DWYER CORN PICICER Oct. 31, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 15, 1945 A 'I'TOINGY.

W.- J. DWYER CORN PICKER Oct. 31, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 15, 1945 ATTORNEY INVENTOR W. J. DWYER Oct. 31, 1950 con PICKER I 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 15, 1945 INVENTOR ATTOQNI W. J. DWYER Oct. 31, 1950 CORN PICKER 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 15, 1945 [NUEMTQR Y B N R o T T A W. J. DWYER Oct. 31, 1950 CORN PICKER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 15, 1945 ATTORNEY ture indicated in Fig. 2 taken from Patented Oct. 31, 1 950 UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFICE CORN PICKER,

William J. Dwyer, Racine, Wis., assignor tell. I. Case Company, Racine, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin v Application December 15, 1945, Serial No. 635,256 I 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to agricultural machines and more particularl to corn pickers and an object thereof is to generally improve the construction and operation of machines of this type. Corn pickers of the type including substantially parallel forwardly and downwardly extending rollers are well-known and the present invention relates to machines having these general characteristics. Such machines in the past however have been heavier and more complex than necessary and accordingly a further object of the invention is to materially simplify such a machine and at the same time to materially reduce the weight thereof and accordingly the cost of the material necessary to produce it. A further object is to reduce the cost of such a machine by providing a novel construction which will greatl reduce the number of operations and accordingly the amount of labor necessary to produce and assemble the machine.

Further objects are to provide improved expe'dients for shiftin the machine laterally to avoid unnecessary trampling of the crop when opening a field; to improve the cleaning expedi-.

ents; to materially stiffen and strengthen the construction and to simplify the mechanism for driving the various units of the machine.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the invention is shown. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention :as herein claimed.

Similar reference characters have been applied 7 to the same parts throughout the specification and the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a two-row machine embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a right side elevation of the machine partly in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a left side elevation of the machine. Fig; 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5'of Fig. 2 with parts omitted to avoid undue com plication.

' Fig. 6 is a perspective view of certain structhe right and slightly to the rear. Fig. 7 is a plan view of a portion ofthe struc- 2. ture shown in Fig. 1 with parts broken away showing the parts, in a different position.

Fig. 8 is a plan view with parts broken away and considerably enlarged of gearing and clutch mechanism indicated in Fig. 1.

. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view taken normal to certain snapping rolls indicated in Fig. 3 substantially on the line 9-9 of Fig. 3.

As seen in Figs. 1 and 3 the machine comprises supporting wheels W and W, a stress bearing member generally designated as In serving as a main foundation or backbone of-the machine.

Member II} has pivoted thereto a draw bar generally designated as II and a picking unit generally designated as 12 in the present instance operative on two rows-of corn at the same time.

Unit I2 is rigidly mounted on member I 0, the

latter being controlled by an adjusting lever generally designated as 13, the structure so far recited constituting the main elements of the machine. It will now be apparent that the corn picker does not have the usual type of frame,

' the member In taking its place, and the picking ing unit l2 bein united therewith in a novel manner as will appear.

Member ID in the present instance comprises a tube or pipe of substantial size so as to have the stability in bending and torsion necessary picking member l2. l0 and extending forwardly therefrom is a pair plates 20 and 2| to carry the weight of the entire machine and the twisting stress imposed by the overhung Rigidly fixedto member of uniplanar plates l4 and I5 best seen in Fig. 5. These plates are spaced apart to form a stalkway I6 for the downward passage of the .corn stalks in well-known manner. Plates l4 and I5 are made of sufiicient thickness to be self-supporting and are preferably welded to pipe I0. Plate M has an outwardly turned flange I! at its upper extremity and an outwardly turned flange I8 at its lower extremity, flange l8 bein also preferably welded to pipe I0. In

an inwardly turned flange 24 which meets and 1s preferably fastened to an inwardly turned flange 25 on above mentioned plate 2| so that stalkway I3 is open at the top and bottom but closed at the back by flanges 24 and 25. In similar manner, stalkway I6 is closed at the back by flanges 2G and 21. An angleiron brace 28 preferably extends between and unites flanges 24, 25 and 26 and .21. It will now be apparent that the main structural support of the machine comprises tubular member I and stalkways l5 and IS, the other major portions of the machine being fastened to and supported by this structure.

Member II) has downwardly extending channel members 29 and 30 to which are attached stub axles 3| and 32 for supporting the machine from wheels W and W. In this way member Ill is disposed substantially above the axis of wheels W and W so as to give ample clearance for stalks and trash beneath the machine.

Draw bar H is composed in the present instance of channels 33 and 34 united at an apex 35, the channels being spaced apart at their rear extremities as seen in Figs. 1 and 3. Channel 33 is pivoted to above mentioned channel 23 at 35 while channel 34 is pivoted at 31 to a bracket 38 rigidly united with pipe l0. Channel 29 extends upwardly and has united therewith an upper member 39 and a lower member 40 of above mentioned adjusting lever l3, lever |3 having a detent 4| engageable with a rack or quadrant 42. connected at 43 with draw bar I so that the angular position of pipe I (and accordingly of picker unit l2) can be adjusted by means of lever |3, the adjustment being maintained by rack 42.

Draw bar I I has a tongue portion 44 which in the present instance is bifurcated and pivoted at 45 to a cross member 46 carried by side channels 33 and 34. Tongue 44 is fixed substantially lengthwise of channel 33 by means of a pin or the like 41 fixed in relation to apex portion 35. Tongue 44 therefore becomes a rigid part of draw bar II and is connected with a tractor T by means of a hitch pin 48. Itwill now be apparent that tractor '1 may be run in a substantially oiiset position relatively to picker unit l2. Tongue 44, however, may be swung to the dotted position of Fig. 1 about pivot 45, pin 41 being first removed and then replaced in an open-, ing 49 in channel 34. In this manner, the machine will take up a position substantially more nearly directly behind tractor T, thus bringing the tractor and picker unit l2 as close together as practical. -In this position,. the outfit may proceed through the field without disturbing more than one row of corn in addition to those picked by unit [2. Also this position of tongue 44 narrows the assemblage for more convenient passage through farm gates and for transportation on the highway.

Flanges l1 and 23 forming the upper margins of plates l4 and 20 respectively form the support-- ing means for outer picker points 50 and which may be of any suitabl construction insofar as support from plates l4 and 20 is concerned, in the present instance a strip of wood 52 being mounted on flange l1 and carrying point 50 by means of an angle iron brace 53. Point 50 is formed of sheet metal bent to the necessary shape in wellknown manner. Point 5| is mounted in a similar manner on flange 23.

Inner plates |5 and 2| have downwardly turned flanges 54 and 55 extending substantially-parallel to above mentioned flanges IT and 23 and supporting at their upper portions plates 56 and 51, to-

'50 and 5| by guiding sheets as 60 and 6|.

housing 59 supported on above mentioned angle iron 28, housing 59 being united to picker points Housing 59 has a shaft 62 journaled therein carrying sprockets as 63 for driving a raddle type elevator generally designated as 64 of well-known type and which does not need to be further described, elevator 64 raising ears picked by the machine to a point above a, chute 65 inclined downwardly and to the left as seen in Fig. 3. Chute 65 is supported from above mentioned housing 59 and at its lower end on a bracket 66 extending rearwardly from tubular member ID, the chute 65 serving to transmit the picked ears to a, wagon elevator as will appear.

For cleaning the harvested crop, a fan 61 is supported above chute 65 for example by brackets 69 and has a discharge duct or nozzle 69 directed transversely to the path of the crop in dropping from elevator 54 into chute 65. The right end of chute 55 is open as indicated in Fig. 3 and the blast from nozzle 69 is sufliciently strong to propel substantially all trash, loose husks, etc., out of the right end of chute 65 while the ears being heavier fall through the blast and gravitate toward the left in chute 65.

As seen in Fig. 3, a bracket 10 and a bracket 10c support a wagon elevator generallydesignated as H extending rearwardly from the machine and having a hopper '12 into which ears may empty from chute B5. Elevator II is of wellknown construction comprising an outer casing 13 having a dividing partition 14 above and below which travels an endless chain 15 carrying a series of buckets 16. Chain'l5 is propelled by a sprocket H on a shaft 18 carried in bearings 15 and 80 supported on brackets 10 and Illa and in turn pivotally supporting housing 13. Elevator H is thus pivotally independent of tubular member l0 and is carried in its rearwardly inclined position by means of a brace or strut 8| in a manner fully described and claimed in the copending application of Magee, Serial No. 415,732, filed October 20, 1941, now Patent No. 2,408,939. It will be apparent that as member I0 and its attached parts are rocked for adjusting the height of picker unit l2, the upper end of elevator H is guided by brace 8| anddoes not rise and fall 'extended to the opposite side of the tractor from picker unit l2. This, however, is a'serious disadvantage when opening a field since it is necessary to pass at least once directly through an area of standing corn. In the past, the picker unit has picked for example two rows while the tractor trampled one or two more which were not picked. The wagon then trailing to the left often trampled another row. Of course on the next round the tractor and wagon would travel in the picked area so that the disadvantage applied only to the field opening process. In the present arrangement, however, since the tractor and the wagon run in a unit I2, only one row of corn is trampled in addition to those picked, even in the field opening operation. Thus is avoided to a large extent one of the most serious objections to the separate or pull type corn picker, for the elimination of which resort has been had in the past to the cumbersome and expensive tractor mounted type of corn picker.

The operative units of the corn picker are substantially conventional and will be described as they are reached. However, the drives for these units have been substantially simplified and will be described.

Tractor T has a power take-off shaft 82 which drives through a tumbler shaft of well-known type 83, a drive shaft 84 in the present instance slidably journaled in a steady bearing 84a and driving through a safety clutch 85 and a universal joint 86, a shaft 81 journaled in a, gear casing 88 supported on a bracket 89 carried by above mentioned member I 0. Shaft 81 carries a pulley 90 which path quite close to picker drives through a belt 9| (in the present instance, I

although not necessarily, a multiple V-beltl a pulley 92 on a shaft 93, being the spindle of a snapping roll 94 located in stalkway I6 in wellknown manner. By virtue of the substantial center-distance between pulley 90 and pulley 92 no special provision need be made for the slanted relation of shaft 81 and shaft 93, belt 9| twisting sufllciently to transmit the power without further complication.

Shaft 93 drives through ,a gear 95, Fig. 9 a gear 95 fixed on a shaft 91 constituting the axis of a snapping roll 98 arranged in stalkway I6 I in cooperative relation with above mentioned snapping roll 94. Shaft 93 also drives, through a sprocket '99 and a chain I00, a sprocket IOI, Fig. 3, on a shaft I02 constituting the axis of a snapping roll I03 arranged in stalkway I9. Shaft I02 has a gear I04 driving a gear I05 fixed on a shaft I06, constituting the axis of a snapping roll I01 arranged in stalkway I9 in cooperation with above mentioned snapping roll I03. Chain M0 is carried beneath elevator housing 59 on an idler I08 supported on a bracket I09 fixed on member I0. Bracket I09 also carries a brace IIO pivoted thereto at III extending to above mentioned elevator H to provide against lateral swaying thereof. The upper run of chain I00 passes through, elevator casing 59 between the two runs of conveyor 64 and is guided by idlers as II2. Snapping rolls 94, 98, I03 and I01 are of well-known or other suitable construction and need not be further described. It is to be noted that chain I00 and gears IOI and I05, etc., are readily lined up in common planes substantially at right angles to the several snapping rolls, whereas the misalignment between pulleys 90 and 92 is readily accommodated by belt 9I. In this manner, a very simple and direct drive is provided for the major power using elements of the machine, all bevel gears being eliminated in this high power drive; 7 Q

In the present instance axial movement of drive shaft 84 in bearing 8411 provides for rocking of tubular member I0 and its attached parts without interference from saidshaft.

For driving fan 61 a pulley H3 is fixed on above mentioned shaft 81 and drives, through a belt II4, a pulley II5 on a shaft III; of the fan, an idler II1 being adjustably mounted on a bracket II8 for adjusting the tension of the belt.

Gear box 88 has a gear 8, Fig, 8, therein engaged'w'ith a clutch member I28.

'type controlled by a shifter rod I33.

driving through a gear I20, a shaft I2 I extending substantially parallel to above mentioned mem ber I0. Shaft I2I extends beneath elevator housing 59, Fig. 3, and has a pulley I22 driving,. through a belt I23, a pulley I24 on above mentioned shaft 52. In this manner, elevator 84 is driven from shaft 81; An idler I25 adjustably mounted on a bracket I28 is used for adjusting the tension in belt I23. Shaft I2I also drives wagon elevator 1|, a sprocket I21 being slidably Journaled on shaft I2I and having clutch teeth Sprocket I21 drives, through a-chain I29, a sprocket I30,

driving, through a safety clutch I3I, above mcn-.

for any purpose as for example changing wagons while any ears coming from elevator 84 may accumulate in chute 65. It will be observed that discontinuing the operation of elevator 1I does not affect in any manner the operation of elevator 64.

Bearing 84a is preferably supported on above mentioned tongue 44 as more particularly seen in Fig. 4. A bifurcated upright I31 supports bearing 84a in a rockable manner by means of pivots I38 and I39 while upright I31 may pivot about a substantially vertical axis in tongue 44 so as to be self-aligning with relation to shaft 84. Swinging of tongue 44 therefore causes no binding in bearing 84a. However, an advantage results from the connection of bearing 84a with tongue 44 in that swinging of tongue 44 alters the position of shaft 84 so as to keep it generally Shifter rod I33 is slidable in a bracket I40 in the present instance extended from adjusting lever I3 1 This constitutes a description of the major units of the machine although it might be fur-,- ther noted that shafts I02 and I00 aresupported in suitable bearings in a plate I4I fixed in relation to above mentioned flanges 24 and 25. A substantially similar construction is used in relation to shafts 93 and 91.

It is to be understood that the machine has gathering chains of substantially conventional type; for example, gear I05 driving a gear I42 on a shaft I43 extending into a gear box I44 through which is driven a sprocket I45 by means of a safety clutch I46. A gathering chain I41 extends about sprocket I45 and a sprocket I48 carried on a plate I49 extending forwardly from above mentioned flange 22, chain I41 extending about a spacer I50 corresponding with above mentioned spacer 52. Plate I49 forms a founda ataaaoa in substantially identical manner to chain Il'l. Gathering chains of substantially conventional type I64 and Iiiare associated with rolls 98' andJM and driven in a manner substantially identical with above described chains I41 and In order to facilitate adjustment of picker unit I2 a compression spring I56 disposed on a telescoping strut I51 is interposed between above mentioned bracket 89 and an ear I58 on a cross brace I69 oi draw bar II. The outward pressure of spring I56 may be adjusted by means oi a nut I69 so as to substantially counterbalance the overhanging weight of member I2.

If desired, above mentioned flange 22 may be further strengthened by a portion I6I forming therewith a closed tapered box section. Member I6I is preferably integrally united at I62 and I63 with plate 20 and flange 22 respectively and with tubular member II) at I64, as for example, by welding. In this manner, plate 20 is materially strengthened against the stresses developed in operation and caused by the weight or attached parts. It is contemplated that similar bracing may be applied to plates I4, I and 2i if desired. A brace I65 is extended if desired between a bracket I66 on member ID and flange I8.

It is thought that the operation of the invention will be clear from the above description and that suitable and advantageous structure has been provided for the realization of the above ob-' jects hereinbefore stated. The above being a complete description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A com picker comprising a relatively large transverse tubular stress bearing member, ground wheels connected in supporting relation to said member, a draw bar pivotally connected with said member in propelling relation therewith, an adjusting lever fixed in relation to said tubular stress bearing member and extending in the direction of said draw bar and spaced therefrom, adjustable means connected between the lever and the draw bar, a pair of substantially uniplanar spaced plates substantially vertically disposed and rigidly united with said tubular member, said plates constituting stress bearing elements, snapping rolls carried directly by said plates, gathering chains carried directly by said plates and picker points carried directly by said plates, and said plates comprising the side walls of a stalkway cooperating with said rolls, elevator mechanism carried directly by said plates and driving mechanism supported in part on said tubular member and in part on said plates for actuating said chains, said rolls and said elevator mechanism.

2. A com picker comprising a relatively large transverse tubular stress bearing member, ground wheels connected, in supporting relation to said member, a draw bar pivotally connected with said member in propelling relation therewith, adjustable means connected between points on the tubular member and on the draw bar spaced from the pivotal connection between the tubular member and the draw bar, a pair of substantialiy unlplanar spaced plates substantially vertically disposed and rigidly united with said tubular member, said plates constituting stress bearing elements, snapping rolls carried directly by said plates, gathering chains carried directly by said plates and picker points carried directly by said plates, and said plates comprising the side walls of a stalkway cooperating with said rolls, elevator mechanism carried directly by said plates and driving mechanism supported in part on said tubular member and in part on said plates for actuating said chains, said rolls and said elevator mechanism.

3. A corn picker comprising a relatively large transverse tubular stress bearing member, ground wheels connected in supporting relation to said member, a draw bar pivotally connected with said member in propelling relation therewith, an adjusting lever fixed in relation to said tubular stress bearing member and extending in the direction of said draw bar and spaced therefrom, adjustable means connected between the lever and the draw bar, a pair of substantially uniplanar spaced plates substantially vertically disposed and rigidly united with said tubular member, said plates constituting stress bearing elements, snapping rolls carried directly by said plates, gathering chains carried directly by said plates and picker points carried directly by said plates, and said plates comprising the sidewalls of a stalkway cooperating with said rolls, a conveyor carried directly by said plates, and driving mechanism supported in part on said tubular member and in part on said plates for actuating said chains and said rolls.

4. A corn picker comprising a relatively large transverse tubular stress bearing member, ground wheels connected in supporting relation to said member, a draw bar pivotally connected with said member in propelling relation therewith, adjustabie means connected between points on the tubular member and on the draw bar spaced from the pivotal connection between the tubular member and, the draw bar, a pair of substantially uniplanar spaced plates substantially vertically disposed and rigidly united with said tubular member, said plates constituting stress bearing elements, snapping rolls carried directly by said plates, gathering chains carried directly by said plates and picker points-carried directly by said plates, and said plates comprising the side walls of a stalkway cooperating with said rolls, a conveyor carried directly by said plates, and driving mechanism supported in part on said tubular member and in part on said plates for actuating said chains and said rolls.

I WILLIAM J. DWYER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

